Decatur Township (part 21 of 46)

Dcccinber, 1887. was put in charge of the and business at Decatur as managei: here and has since served in this city without interruption, covering a quarter of a century. He has been most loyal and capable and has had the supervision of as high as seventy offices from this point. He has been a most indefatigable worker in the service of the company throughout all these years never taking exact measure of the hours which he has devoted to the business, but doing all within his power to promote the success of the business done from this office and giving his attention to the work whether it required the hours of night or of daytime. He never asked or demanded vacations and in recognition of his faithful service in 1903 the company granted him an indefinite vacation from active duties with full pay. This was certainlv a merited tribute to his worth and fidelity and one which be much prizes and of which he might be justly proud as it is an indication of his honorable service and the trust reposed in him by the corporation.

In 1895 Mr. Ma.Kon was united in marriage to Miss Emma Custer, of Effingham, Illinois. They now have an interesting little daughter, Helen Ruth. Mr. Maxon was made a ^lason in Davenport, Iowa, and is still a member of the Blue Lodge and Gommandery of that city. He holds membership relations with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks in Springfield, Illinois, and with the Knights of Pythias fraternity in Cincinnati. The same fidelity which has characterized his business career has been manifested in bis fraternal and in other relations of life.

Fielding Nathaniel Ewing

FIELDING NATHANIEL EWING. Fielding Nathaniel Ewing was born in Statcsville. Iredell county. North Carolina, on the 29th of September, i8ti. He was a son of Adlai Osborn Ewing and Sophia (Wallis) Ewing. the grandson of Nathaniel Ewing and

Rebecca (Osborn) Ewing and of John Wallis and Isabella (Sharpe) Wallis, of Scotch-Irish ]jareiilagc and of Presbyterian faith. His family removed to Kentucky when he was four years old and his father soon died.

Mr. Ewing received his preparatory educatiiiii at the academy at Elkton, Todd county, Kentucky, and was graduated from" the University of Nashville, Tennessee, in 1838 and from the Theological Seminary at Princeton in 1843. liis first ministerial charge was at Morganficid, Kentucky. On the 28th of October, 1845, he married Sarah Ann Powers at her brother's home in Decatur. In 1849 he accepted a call to the church in Bloomington, Illinois, but was obliged by throat trouble to give up preaching in 1859 and moved to Lake View, a suburb of Chicago. While living there he performed one of the most important services of his life in connection with the Theological Seminary. In the winter of 1862-63 the seminary was without any permanent building and by reason of the distress and financial panic caused by the war, it was in danger of losing its landed property. This land had been given on coiulition that a building should be erected upon it within three vears and the requirement liad not been complied with. The board of directors commissioned Mr. Ewing. and sent him to New York to raise sixteen thousand dollars and to persuade the donors of the land to renew their offer in case the building shoukl be erected within one year. His success was complete. He gave liberally himself, secured the renewal of the offer, obtained the necessary money, and the main building was erected, paid for and ready for use at the end of the next season.

Dr. L. J. Halsey in his history of the Mc- Cormick Theological Seminary says, " All honor is due to the memory of Mr. Ewing for the zeal, the energy and the admirable skill and the complete success with which, under the most unpropitious and difficult circumstances, he carried tlirongb the work of raising the large sum of money required to erect this first building in time to fulfill the conditions stipulated by the donors of this land. It may be questioned whether any other man then known to the board of directors could have accomplished the work then assigned Mr. Ewing, or have done it with a success so complete. This was at the time of a crisis in the life of the nation, and there was a crisis too in the life of the seminary on which its whole future depended. This first building is named Ewing Hall by the action of the board who said, It seems fitting that his valuable services should be commemorated and perpetuated by the edifice whose existence is due to his labors." " It is marked by a tablet suitably inscribed.

In 1864 Mr. Ewing removed to Decatur, where he spent the remaining years of his life, his health never permitting him to resume the ministry, and he died at his home November 18, 1880. He had six children, three sons who died in infancy ; Charles Adlai Ewing, who died November 6, 1896; Edgar Farris Ewing, who died August 26, 1884, when twenty-eight years of age ; and one daughter, Myra Belle Ewing.

It was said of him by one who had been his teacher in college, his colleague in the ministry and his friend and associate through the closing years of his life: " In his public character as a minister of God, as a member of the court of the church, the presbytery and synod, and especially as a director of the seminary, Mr. Ewing was regarded by all who knew him, as a man of wise council, sound judgment, evangelical spirit, genial manner, inflexible principle and that consistency and uprightness of character which invariably inspired respect and confidence. His very presence was hailed by his brethren as an assurance of sound views and fraternal feeling. He was always one of the leading and working members of the presbytery, synod and board of directors. His sound and practical judgment, his good sense, his knowledge of men and things, together with his moderation and conciliatory spirit, often enabled him to harmonize conflicting views and to suggest a plan of action which all would readily accept as the best thing to be done. He entered no assembly of men to which his presence did not lend the added charm of Christian courtesy, ministerial dignity and manly candor. Along with these solid qualities he carried a rich fund of anecdote and a glow of genial wit and humor, chastened by reverence and good taste, which made him the attraction of the social circle, and which in the earnest and often heated debates of the public assembly was like pouring oil on the troubled waters. Yet with all this conciliatory good humor there was no firmer and truer man - none truer to his principles, truer to his friends, truer to God and truth."

Mrs. Sarah A, Ewing was the daughter of William and Abigail (Hendrix) Powers, the granddaughter of Andrew Powers and Sally (Carter) Powers and of David Hendrix and Anne (\\'estcott) Hendri.x, and was born October 31, 1820. at Qiarlton, Saratoga county. New York, the youngest of eight children. Her father died when she was four years old and at eighteen she and her mother removed to Alobile, Alabama, to joi«i the oldest son, William L. Powers, a banker there. They made the trip in a sailing vessel from New York. In 1840 with her mother, her brother, George Powers, and his wife, she drove from ]\Iobile to Decatur, Illinois, . the trip taking six weeks, and they resided here on what is known as the Old Farm of the Samuel Power's estate.

On the 28th of October, 1845, she married Rev. Fielding N. Ewing and they drove to their home in Morganfield, Kentucky. Four years later they removed to Blooming^on, Illinois, and in 1859 to Lake View, a suburb of Chicago. The lake air did not agree with her and in 1864 they removed to Decatur, where two of her brothers were Hving, and here made their permanent home. Her husband died November 18, 1880, and of her six children three sons died in infancy; Charles Adlai Ewing died November 6, 1896; Edgar Farris Ewing died August 26, 1884; and her only daughter, 'Slyra. Belle Ewing, survives her.

:\irs. Ewing"s health for the last thirty years of her life prevented her taking an active part in any social and religious matters, but she was from girlhood a devoted member of the Presbyterian church. She died on the 29th of January, 1902, in her eighty-second year.

It has been very justly said of her: " Her life was marked by the deepest devotion to her husband and her children. In them she found her greatest comfort and joy, and the strength and beauty of her gentle, kindly nature left its imprint u]5on them and was exemplified in the honorable positions they attained in the esteem and confidence of their fellow men. Her life has been filled with sadness by afflictions that have fallen upon her, but her faith and reliance in the wisdom of an all seeing God have borne her up in tribulations intensified by the loss of husband and children to whom she was attached by ties of love that grew with the grow^th of the family she reared. The beauty of her home life, her gracious manner, her sympathy with all and her interest in the welfare of her family and friends have enshrined in the hearts of all who were privileged to know her the highest regard and in their memory a monument of respect and love never to be effaced. The influence of her gentle life reaches out and beyond the family circle and makes the world better for her having lived."

Owen Scott

gentleman whose name heads this brief notice, the well known manager of the Decatur Herald. -America owes much of her progress and advancement to a position foremost among the nations of the world to her newspapers, and in no line has the incidental broadening out of the sphere of usefulness been more marked than in this same line of journalism. Illinois has enlisted in its newspaper field some of the strongest intellects of the nation - men of broad mental grasp, cosmopolitan ideas and notable business sagacity. Prominent among these is Owen Scott, the subject of this review.

A native of Illinois, he was born in Effingham county on the 6th of July, 1848, and is a son of John O. and Martha B. Scott, who were among the pioneers of that county, the father having located there in 1825 and the mother four years later. John O. Scott died in 1892, at the age of eighty-six years, but his wife is still living and has reached the advanced age of ninety-seven.

Owen Scott acquired his early education in the common schools of his native county and later attended the Illinois State Normal University at Bloomington. No event of special importance marked his boyhood and youth and he remained upon the home farm until about twenty years of age. On starting out in life for himself he engaged in teaching in the public schools for some time and for eight years was county superintendent of schools in Effingham county. Having decided to enter the legal profession, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 187.^, after which he engaged in practice for ten years. In the meantime he entered upon his journalistic career, publishing the Effingham Democrat for three years, from 1881 to 1884. In the latter year he left his native county and removed to Bloomington, where he published the Bloomington Daily Bulletin tmtil 1891. For several years he has taken a very active and influential part in political affairs and in 1890 was elected to congress, being the only

Democrat ever elected from that district. He served throughout the fifty-second congress and then retired to private life, his term expiring on the 4th of March, 1893. In 1896 and 1897 he was grand master of the Masons of Illinois. During all this time he continued to make his home in Bloomington but in 1899 came to Decatur and has since had charge of the Decatur Herald, which is one of the leading papers of this section of the state.

At Effingham, on the 6th of November, 1873, Mr. Scott was united in marriage to Miss Nora Miser, who died August 2, 1900, leaving two daughters : Mrs. Henrietta McNulta and Miss Florence Scott. In early life Mr. Scott always affiliated with the Democratic party but was unable to endorse the party platform during the Bryan campaign of 1896 and in 1900 he declared for McKinley and now votes the Republican ticket. He has always taken quite a prominent part in public affairs and besides the offices previously referred to he served as mayor of Effingham from 1883 until October, 1884, when he resigned in order to remove to Bloomington. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and other societies besides the Masonic fraternity, in which he stands high. He has not only served as grand master of the state but has filled other positions in the order of minor importance. Religiously he is a member of the Baptist church and was president of the State .\ssociation for four years. He has been and is distinctively a man of afifairs and one who has wielded a wide influence. A strong mentality, an invincible courage, a most determined individuality have so entered into his make-up as to render him a natural leader of men and a director of opinion.

John G. Shanklin

esteem than the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. For many years he was actively identified with the farming and stock-raising interests of the county but is now living retired on his farm on section I, South Macon township. He was born near Lexington, Kentucky, December 31, 1822, and is a son of John and Jenett (Green) Shanklin, the latter a relative of General Green, of Revolutionary fame and a first cousin of General Thomas, of the Civil war. She was born at Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and was of Scotch-Irish descent. The father of our subject was a native of Washington county, Virginia, and from that state removed to Kentucky, where he continued to make his home until 1828, when with his family he came to Illinois, making the journey on horseback with his household goods in an old fashioned steamboat wagon drawn by five horses. He arrived in Greene county on the 14th of October, 1828, and purchased eighty acres of prairie land near XA'hitehall, which he at once began to improve and cultivate, but he was not long permitted to enjoy his new home as death claimed him in 1832. His wife died in February, 1856. Of their eight children only three are now living, these being Henrietta, widow of James Doyle and a resident of Auburn, Illinois; William, a retired farmer of LaPlace, Illinois ; and John G., of this review.

Tlie subject of this sketch was only six years old when he accompanied his father on his removal to Illinois, and he was reared and educated in Greene county, this state, pursuing his studies in an old log schoolhouse, which had a puncheon floor, greased paper windows and a large fireplace at one end. On starting out in life for himself he worked as a farm hand until twenty-two ' years of age, and then purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land where the town of Roodhouse now stands, paying eleven dollars per acre for it, though he had to borrow a part of the money. Subsequeiuly he purchased another one hundred and si.xly acre tract adjoining, a part of which was timber and the remainder prairie land. This he placed under cultivation and continued to operate it for four years. Selling out at the end of that time he returned to Greene county, where he bought a farm, making it his home for about four years, and then removed to Macoupin county, where he purchased one hundred and twenty acres, selling his Greene county farm soon afterward. Three years later he went to Scott count)', where he owned and operated a farm of one hundred and twenty acres for five years, and then removed to Sangamon county, where the following year was spent upon a rented farm. .\t the end of thai lime he came to Macon^cuunty and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land north of the village of Macon, locating ihoreon in time to vote for General Grant the following year. That farm was all wild and unimproved when it came into his possession, but he tiled, ditched and broke the land and erected a good house thereon, and in connection with the operation of the farm he also cultivated another one hundred and si.xty acres which he rented for several years, at the same time feeding a large nunil)er of cattle and hogs for market. In 1881 he bought eighty acres on section i, South Macon township, where he now lives, remodeled the house and made other good improvements, besides adding to his land until he now owns one hundred and ninety-six acres. A few years ago he sold his first farm of one hundred and sixty acres in the same township. During the long years of his residence in Illinois, he has bought and sold much property in various parts of the state, and has materialy aided in its development and upbuilding.

united in marriage' to Miss Elizabeth Holliday, a daughter of John and Matilda (Clark) Holliday, and to them were born si.x children, three of whom are still living, namely: Matilda, the wife of V. W. Judd, a farmer living near Nevada, Iowa; jcnett. wife of 1). T. Hughes, who is now operating our subject's farm ; and Jonas, wife of William Oberlin, who li\cs in Macon and is engaged in farming and threshing. Mrs. Shanklin was called to her final rest on the 30th of October, 1888. She was a life-long member of the Methodist Episcopal church, took an active part in its work and was a true and earnest Christian woman, loved and respected by all who knew her. Her death came as an almost unbearable loss to her husband and time seems rather to heighten his loneliness than obliterate it. The relations between them were most congenial, each deeply enjoying the companionsliip of the other and Mrs. Shanklin was a most estimable lady, kindly and sympathetic, so that slie won not only the earnest and enduring lo\'e of lu-r husband but also of many friends.

Mr. .Shanklin cast his first presidential \ote for William Henry Harrison and now supports the Republican ])arty. During the Civil war he was a member of the Union League and has always been a patriotic and loyal citizen, taking a coinmendable interest in public afifairs. He has filled the offices of school director and road commissioner, but has never cared for political preferment. In all the relations of life he has been foiniil upright and honorable and he liolds a high place in the esteem of his fellow citizens.

D. T. Hughes, who now has charge of our subject's farm, was btjrn in Defiance, Ohio, July 31, 1850. and is a son of Andre and Clarissa (Blair) Hughes, who were also natives of the Buckeye state, whence they removed to Michigan, where botli died. The father was a lawyer of considerable promi- nencc and served as magistrate many \ears. D. T. Hughes acquired his education in the schools of his native state, and on coming to Illinois in 1876, located in Macon county, where he has engaged in agricultural pursuits ever since. He now has charge of Mr. Shanklin's estate, but owns an adjoining farm of one hundred and sixty acres which he rents. On the 9th of July, 1881, at the Grace Methodist Episcopal parsonage in Decatur he was united in marriage to Miss Jenett Shanklin, who was born June 5, 1856, in the old log cabin home in Scott count)', Illinois, and they have become the parents of five children : Elizabeth H., John S., Daisy Clarissa, D. Roy and De Witt T. j\lr. Hughes is a Republican in politics but has never cared or sought for office. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and also of the Methodist Episcopal church of ^facon.

Kilburx H. Roby

Enrolled on the list of men who have been the builders of Decatur, the promoters of its business life, its political interests and its educational welfare is the name of Kilburn H. Roby and an investigation into the history of the city soon convinces the student that he has played no unimportant part in public aitairs here. He has gained distinction at the bar and although now retired from the active practice of law, is still closely associated with the city as a representative of its financial interests, being now the president of The National Bank of Decatur.

His life span thus far covers two-thirds of a century, for he was born on the 2d of September, 1837, in Hillsboro county. New Hampshire. Back to an early epoch in the colonization of the new world does he trace his ancestry, for when ^Massachusetts was first being opened up to the civilization of the old world his ancestors, emigrating from England, established their home in the old Bay state. Upon the first settlement of New Hampshire a branch of the family was planted there. Soon after the war which brought independence to the nation, John Roby, the great-grandfather of our subject, removed from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, to Hillsboro county. New Hampshire, and cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of what was then a frontier district. Representatives of the name have since resided there. The Granite state was the home of John Roby, the grandfather of our subject, throughout his entire life and he reached the advanced age of eighty years. His traits of character were strongly marked and were of a sterling nature. He possessed a remarkable memory and could repeat the greater portion of the Bible. His son, Clinton Rob}', was born in New Hampshire in 1808, and in 1834 he married ^liss Lois Harwood, who was born in Hillsboro county. New Hampshire, in 181 1, and was also a representative of an old Massachusetts family of English lineage. Two children were born of this union, the younger being the subject of this review.

On the home farm the boyhood days of Kilburn H. Roby were passed and his studies were largely pursued in Appleton Academy, of Mount \^ernon, although later he continued his education in Northfield Seminary, which was under the auspices of the Methodist church and was located at Northfield, now Tilton, New Hampshire. He has ever remained a student of current events, keeping well informed on the issues of the day and their bearing upon the history of the country. The west with its almost limitless opportunities attracted the ambitious young man, and the spring of 1858 witnessed his removal from New Hampshire to Illinois. He was not disappointed in the country to which he had come and has since remained a resident of this state, winning proniineiice and success in professional and financial circles. He spent the summer of 1858 in Quincy and in the succeeding autumn began teaching school in Marion county where he remained for two years, largely engaged in following that profession. In the meantime, however, he began preparation for the bar, his first preceptor being John P. Reynolds, who was at one time a distinguished lawyer of Cincinnati and later of Chicago. Air. Roby continued his reading with the firm of Bryan & Schaeffer, of Salem, Illinois, and in September, i860, he entered the law office of Tupper & Nelson, of Decatur, as a student.

The next step of importance in his life record was his enlistment in Company A, Forty-first Illinois Infantry, in August, 1861. He was stationed at St. Louis, Cairo, and I'aducah, Kentucky, but after four months was discharged on account of illness. Returning then to Decatur he resumed his legal studies and in the spring of 1862 was admitted to practice. Not long after this his former preceptor, Mr. Tupper, entered the army, and Mr. Roby then entered into partnership with Mr. Nelson, an association that was maintained for fifteen j'ears, the partnership being terminated by the election of Judge Nelson to the bench in 1S77. For many years Mr. Roby was the senior member of the firm of Roby, Outicn & \'ail, but in recent years has retired from the bar, where for so long he was an eminent and leading figure. Recause of the ability of its members the firm with which he was connected maintained a foremost place in legal circles and the reputation of Mr. Roby was second to none who argued cases in the courts of this district. His legal learning was broad and accurate and this made him a safe adviser and able counsellor. His preparation of cases was thorough and exhaustive and he learned to prepare not only for the expected but also for the unexpected, which happens quite as frequently in courts as out of them. He won many notable cases and for long years had a distinctively representative clientage, which was an indication of his skill and ability in his chosen profession. In 1893 he became connected with the Decatur National L5ank, which was reorganized in that year, at which time he was chosen president, in which position he still continues to serve. The other officers are D. S. Shellabarger, vice president; B. O. McReynolds, cashier; and George W. Bright, assistant cashier. The company does a general banking business and the institution is capitalized for one hun.dred thousand dollars, while the surplus is one hundred thousand dollars and the undixided profits twenty-five thousand.

On the 1st of December, 1863, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Roby and Miss Annie Haworth, a native of Clinton county, Ohio. By this marriage there have been born seven children, of whom six are now living.

Mr. Roby has long been an ardent advocate of Republican principles and although never seeking office he has taken an active interest in the work and success of the party. The only public office he ever held was the dual one of clerk and attorney of Decatur, in which capacity he acted for two years, save that he is now the treasurer of the board of education, to which position he has been annually appointed since September, 1892. The public, however, recognizes his devotion to the welfare of the city because of the active co-operation, which, as a private citizen, he has given to many measures for the public good. His labors and induence have been a resultant factor in the progress of the cit)', the expansion of its business affairs and its substantial growth.

Mrs. Nancy J. Ttousley

proniiiiL-nl families of Decatur. She was born in KenUicky, August 22, 1833, and is a daughter of Jolin W. and Elvira (Oxley) Tyler, and a half-sister of Barton S. Tyler, whose sketch appears on another page of this volume. Her father, who was a native of Eayette county, Kentucky, came to Illinois at an early day and in 1836 located in iMacon county, casting in his lot with its pioneer settlers. lie was one of those who laid broad anil deep the foundation for the present development and prosperity of the county and for more than half a century he made his home within its borders, taking a deep and abiding interest in whatever pertained to the general good. He was a minister of the Christian church and followed closely in the footsteps of the Master. His first wife died in 1836, leaving three children: Theodore M., who died about 1887; John, a resident of Decatur; and Nancy J., of this review. He afterward married Mrs. Sarah Roney, who passed away in 1892, and his death occurred in 1888. By the second union there were the following children, who are still living : Dr. B. B. Tyler, a prominent divine of the Christian church now located in Denver, Colorado; Rev. J. Z. Tyler, of Cleveland, Ohio; Charles Tyler, who is living in Oklahoma ; Mrs. Stephen Cook, a resident of Denver, Colorado; Miss Alice Tyler, whose home is in Des Moines, Iowa; Mrs. Sue Odor, of Decatur; and Mrs. J. A. Meriweather, of Decatur.

On reaching womanhood Miss Nancy J. Tyler was united in marriage to Rufus Housley, and to them were born seven children, as follows: Nellie, the eldest, is now the widow of George W. Harris and resides in Kansas City, Missouri ; Mary A. is the widow of C. R. Morrison and makes her home with her sister in Kansas City ; Francis is deceas.ed ; Katie is the widow of John A. Rogers and lives with her mother in Decatur, being employed in the millinery <le])arlment of I'.radley Brothers store;

William R. is a painter and resides in Montana ; Edwin L. is also a painter and is now living in Robey, Illinois ; and Elvira died in infancy. Airs. Housley has a nice home at No. 846 East Cantrell street, where she and her daughter now reside. They stand high in social circles and have many warm friends throughout the city. Mrs. Housley is a member of the Christian church and her daughter belongs to the First Alethodist Episcopal church of Decatur.

Louis Koehler

LOUIS KOEHLER. Louis Koehler, one of the most successful merchants of Decatur and one whose business activity, enterprise and careful management constitute the secret of his prosperity, is proprietor of a fine retail grocery and market. He was born in this city April 19, 1859, his parents having been Henry and Barbara (Will) Koehler, who, as the name indicates, were natives of Germany. The}' came to the United States fifty-four years ago, settling in Buffalo, New York. Later they established their home in Decatur and here the father died as the result of an accident in April, 1885, at the age of fifty years. His wife died when her son Louis was but five years of age, leaving two children, the subject of this review and a daughter, Emma, who is now the wife of John Weglege, of Dayton, Ohio. The father was a butcher by trade and for some time was an employe of Peter \V. AVycoft', of Decatur.

At the usual age Louis Koehler became a student in the public schools and therein mastered the common branches of learning, but when only ten years of age he began working in the butcher shop with his father. He afterward went to Buffalo, New York, where he was employed in the years 1874-5 and in 1876 he returned to his native city, lie then look charge of the cafe in the St.

Nicholas Hotel, where he remained for live years and in the spring of 1888, with the capital he had acquired there through his own energy and determination he established a grocery store at the corner of Wood and Broadway, where he was located for five years. He then removed to the corner of East Wood and Broadway, and after being located there for eleven years he erected his present handsome brick building known as the Koehler Block at Nos. 632-638 East Wood street. This is a twostory structure forty by eighty feet. It has excellent timber supports and is splendidly equipped for the carrying on of the business. His establishment is the largest retail grocery house in the city and he not only deals in groceries but also carries a large line of fruits and \egetables, queensware, tinware and wooden and willow ware. He also opened a butchering department, carr\-ing home killed meats and dealing in both fresh and salt meats and fish and game in season. His spacious show windows are handsomely decorated with foliage plants and his goods are displayed to the best advantage throughout the store, which is neat and attractive in appearance. A glance into this large and finel}^ kept establishment often solves for the housekeeper the perplexing problem of "what to eat." Mr. Koehler has l)iiilt up a splendid trade and is now one of the most prosperous merchants of the city. He has been a close observer of the needs and wishes of the people and carefully superintends every detail of the work in connection with his store. He has been eminently successful and takes just pride in the perfection of his establishment and a choice of goods carried.

Mr. Koehler has been twice married. He first wedded Miss Mary Troesch of Effingham. Illinois, in 1880. She died July 13, 1890. at the age of thirty-six vears, leaving three children: Lela 1\.. Willa B. aufl Louis H. In iS(j4 'Sir. Koehler was again married, his second union being with Miss Mary Leach, a daughter of .Mr. and Mrs. David Leach of Decatur. He belongs to Easterly Camp, No. 1626, M. W. A., is also connected with the Knights of the Maccabees, with Decatur Court, No. 243, Tribe of Ben linr ;nul with Lincoln Camp. He is an honorable man, his reputation is above reproach and his word is as good as his bond; he is also a progressive man, keeping in touch with the advancement of the times in business life as well as in other affairs; he is also liberal and generous, whose conduct with bis fellow citizens has broadened his nature and his views and who now looks upon life from a broad humanitarian standpoint. His friends appreciate his sterling worth and all who know him have admiration for his honorable and successful career.

CHRISTIAN D.VMMEIl'.R. Christian Dammeier, who is now living a retiretl life on section 26, South Macon township, is one of the worthy citizens that Germany has furnished to the new world and like many of those who have sought homes on this side of the .Atlantic he has risen from a position of comparative obscurity to a place among the substantial and prominent citizen.s of his community.

Born in Germany July 19, 1832, he is a son of Casper and Sophia(Neimeier) Dammeier, who were life-long residents of that country, but his maternal grandfather, Henry .N'eimeier, came from Germany to America when our subject was about seven years of age and located in Baltimore, Maryland, where he continued to make his home throughout the remainder of his life. It was in 1852 that our subject came to the United States, making the voyage on a sailing vessel, the .\usteina, which sailed from Firemen. .Mthough they were ten weeks in crossing the Atlanlic. the trij) was a pleasant one. Two deaths occurred during the voyage and also two births. There were two hundred and eighty-five passengers on board. Landing in New Orleans, Mr. Dammeier proceeded up the Mississippi river to Cairo, Illinois, where he arrived nine days , later - on the 30th of December, 1852. From there he walked to East St. Louis, which was then a village of only three houses. After spending a few days with an uncle on the blufifs near Collinsville, he obtained employment with Henry Peters, for whom he worked four months, receiving nine dollars per month for the first two months, and eleven dollars per month for the remainder of the time. In this way he earned enough to send his father the money which he had borrowed to pay his passage to America. He continued to work as a farm hand by tlie month until after the Civil war broke out, when prompted by love for his adopted country, he enlisted at Edwardsville, Illinois, in May, 1861, becoming a member of Company I, Ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the Sixteenth Army Corps. For three years and three months he remained in the service, taking part in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh and many other important engagements and skirmishes, one hundred and ten in all. After the battle of Shiloh he was with the mounted infantry. He was finally discharged at. Camp Butler, Illinois, August 21, 1864, with a fine military record.

After his return from the army ^Ir. Dammeier continued to work by the month until his marriage, which important event in his life was celebrated April 20, 1873, ^liss Susan I\l. Bainter, who was born January 17, 1846, and is a daughter of Elias and Elizabeth (Easter) Bainter, becoming his wife. Her father, who was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, died in 1858, and her mother passed away when Mrs. Dammeier was only four j^ears old.

Mr. and ^T^s. Dammeier began their married life on a partially improved farm of forty acres in South iNIacon township, where they have since made their home. There was a small house, fourteen by eighteen feet, upon the place, and in that they lived for over twenty years and it is still standing but about ten years ago a more commodious and substantial residence was erected by ^Mr. Dammeier as a place of abode. He has also built two barns, has laid over eight thousand tiles, and in other ways has improved the place until it is now one of the most desirable farms of its size in the localit}-. All of the trees and shrubs which now adorn it were planted by Mr. and \lrs. Dammeier. Formerly he raised a great many hogs for market but for the past thirteen years he has lived retired from active labor, renting all of his farm with the exception of about eight acres and the house in which he lives. He has plowed with five voke of oxen hitched to an old fashioned plow and has used other primitive farm implements in carrying on his work before modern machinery was introduced. Industrious, enterprising and honest, he met with success in his labors and is to-day able to lav aside all business cares and enjoy the fruits of former toil.

Since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in i860, Mr. Dammeier has affiliated with the Republican party, but has always refused to accept office of any kind. He is an honored member of Dunham Post, No. 141, G. A. R., of Decatur, and both he and his wife formerly held membership in the church of God at Macon, but since its dissolution they have attended the Presbyterian church. They are people of the highest respectability and well merit the regard in which thev are held.

Jacob C. Hendricks

JACOB C. HENDRICKS. Jacob C. Hendricks was born in Pennsylvania, August 21. 1828, and therefore for more than three-fourths of a century has been a witness of the world's progress and taken a deep and commendable pride in the accomplishments of his own coimtry. His parents were Samuel and Magdalene (Woodling) Hendricks, whose family numbered six cliildren, the eldest of whom, John, died in 1903, at the advanced age of seventyeight years.

Jacob C. Hendricks spent his youth and acquired his education in Pennsylvania. For many years thereafter he was connected with the carriage-making trade, having learned that business in the Keystone state, where he followed the pursuit for nine years. It was on the nth of April, 1865, that he arrived in Decatur and with the interests of the city he has since been identified. Here he secured work as a journeyman at his trade and was thus employed for eighteen years. In 1883 he built a carriage repair shop on West Green street, where he engaged in business on his own account until 1899. Since that time he has given his attention and energies to the manufacture of bee hives and to the sale of bee supplies. He also keeps on hand pure honey which he sells to the retail trade. His life has been one of untiring industry and whatever success he has achieved has come to him as a direct result of his own labors.

Mr. Hendricks was married in I'eniisylvania, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary J. Orwig, who was born and reared in the Kejstone state, where the wedding was celebrated in 1852. They traveled life's journey together for more than one-third of a century and then Mrs. Hendricks was called to her final rest in Decatur on the 14th of February, 1898, leaving her husband and several children to mourn her loss. She was a kind and loving wife and a devoted mother, and in friendship she was ever faithfid and true. The children of the family are as follows : Mary Jane, who is now living in New York city; Helen, who formerly engaged in teaching school in Decatur and is now a popular school teacher of Chicago; Edith, who became the wife of E. W. Smith and died leaving two children ; Bertha, who conducts a china decorating establishment in Denver, Colorado; A. W., who married Alinta Kcizer and is now depiit}' sheritT of .Macon county, his home being in Decatur ; Harry, who is living in Denver, Colorado; Erankie, who died in childhood; and Etta, the wife of George Hart, of San Jose, California. All of the children were well educated, being provided with school privileges that well prepared them to meet the responsible and practical duties of life. Since casting his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont Mr. Hendricks has always exercised his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party, but otherwise has taken no active interest in political aftairs. He owns his own shop, house and lot in Decatur and these are the visible evidence of his life of thrift and enterprise. He has seen Decatur grow from a city of seven thousand to its present metropolitan proportions and has been actively interested in much of its development during the long years of his residence here.

Jacob Troutman

Alore than forty-eight years have elapsed since this gentleman arrived in Macon county and he is justly numbered among her early settlers and leading citizens. Throughout the years of his manhood he has been identified with the agricultural interests of this locality and is today the owner of a fine farm on section 7, Decatur township, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation and impro\'ed in a worthy manner.

side is of Scotch descent, his grandfather, Michael Troutman, being a native of Scotland, whence he emigrated to America in Colonial days. He took part in the Revolutionary war under the command of General Washington and valiantly aided the colonies in their struggle for independence. Peter Troutman, the father of our subject, was born in Henry county, Kentucky, in 1816, and from that state removed to Indiana in 1832, settling in Fulton county, where in the midst of the forest he hewed out a farm. He was not onlj- engaged in agricultural pursuits but also practiced medicine for twenty-five years but was at length forced to abandon his profession on account of ill health. He became one of the prominent and influential citizens of Fulton county and as a self-made man he acquired a comfortable competence through his own well directed and industrious efforts. A few years prior to his death he removed to Kansas, where he engaged in the real estate and loan business, and he died near Victor, that state, on the 4th of November, 1900. In Indiana he wedded Miss Mary Bruce, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Abraham Bruce, who was born in Germany and -on crossing the Atlantic to the new world settled in the Kevstone state, whence he removed with his family to Indiana, becoming one of its early settlers. He was a farmer and millwright by occupation and became a wealthy man. -Mrs. Troutman died in J^Iacon county, Illinois, in 1869. When a young man the father of our subject united with the Methodist Episcopal church and served as a classleader and as superintendent of the Sunday school for many years. He and his family were the principal contributors toward building the Sharon church and he was a trustee of the same. Socially he was a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge and in politics was a Republican. He always took an active interest in public affairs and voted

Unto Peter and Mary (Bruce) Troutman were born the following children : Elizabeth Jane, the eldest, is the wife of J. H. Cox, a farmer of Sumner county, Kansas. Joseph served throughout the Civil war as a member of the One Hundred and Sixteenth Illinois \'olunteer Infantr\', participating in thirty-two battles and in the march to the sea with Sherman, and after his return home he fell from an apple tree and broke his leg, which superinduced general debility and resulted in his death. Samuel, who was a member of the same regiment as his brother and was with Sherman on his celebrated march to the sea, is now living in Decatur. Phoebe is the wife of Jeremiah Miller, of Decatur. Jacob is the next in order of birth. Julia is the wife of Asa Gulick, a resident of Harristown, township. John makes his home in Kansas. Levi died at the age of twenty years. All of the children were born in Indiana.

Jacob Troutman was onlj- eight years old when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Macon county, Illinois, the journey being made by team, and on reachingtheir destination they took up their residence in a two room log cabin with puncheon floor. Our subject passed his boyhood and youth under the parental roof and pursued his studies in the district schools of the neighborhood and the public schools of Decatur. He early became familiar with all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He could swing the ax and cradle and at the age of thirteen began following the old McCormick reaper. Later he engaged in breaking prairie and hauling logs for fences.

< )n attaining his majority Mr. Troutman started out in life for himself, his property at that time consisting of one horse. He purchased the farm where he is now living, it being a tract of sevent}^ acres of unim-

])rovo(l land, and npon the place he erected a good resilience, together with substantial barns and all modern equipments and conveniences. He is not only engaged in agricultural pursuits but also carries on a general store and deals in both grain and stock.

Mr. Troutman was married. September 20, 1876, to IMiss Sarah Morrison, a native of Pennsylvania. Her father. Joel Morrison, was born in Mifllin county, that state, and came to Illinois in 1850. when Mrs. Troutman was about fifteen j-ears of age. He lived in Decatur for some time and was in the employ of John Ullrich and George Danzeisen & Blenz, butchers, for several years. He was an earnest and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church and died in that faith at the age of si.xtyfour years. Some of his earlv ancestors were soldiers of the Revolutionary war and were killed in battle. In his familv were seven children, Mrs. Troutman being the fourth in order of birth, and six of the number are still living, nameh- : ^^'ilson, Amia, Sarah, Joel, Charles and Lydia. David is deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. Troutman are the parents of five children : Fred D., a resident of Shelby county, Illinois; Carrie, who died in infancy: Nora, the wife of Otto Churchman, who has charge of the elevator at Troutman and by whom she has one child, Ellen ; and Samuel J. and Minnie Jean, both at home. The ])arents are widely known in this coiunuuiit}' and are people of sterling worth, well deserving the high regard in which they are beld. Since casting his first presidential vote for General Grant, Mr. Troutman has affiliated with the Republican party, and socially he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America, the Royal Circle, the Court of Honor and the Fraternal .'vrmy. During his long residence in the counix' he has witnessed that marvelous transformation that has been wrought and as a generous, liberal minded and progressive citizen has aided in its development.

Iil-Ston Singleton

liuslon .Singleton, one of the oldest repre- .^cntativcs of the restaurant business in Decatur, has resided in this city for the past thirty-eight years. He was born in the town of Shelbyville in Bedford county. Tennessee, .May 28, 1848, a son of Richard II. and Minerva (Porter) Singleton, who were likewise natives of that state. During his youth his parents removed to Keokuk. Iowa, and he there acquired his education, but his school privileges were somewhat limited. In 1865 he came to Decatur and began work as a bell boy and later as jiortcr in the old Revere House, where he remained for about three years. He then began learning the barber's trade and after mastering it opened a shop of his own, continuing in the business until 1884, when he sold out. He then established a restaurant in Lincoln Square, where he has since remained in business, being recognized as one of the most capable proprietors and extensive caterers of the city. He has served some of the finest banquets that have been held, not onlv in Decatur, but also in central Illinois, and in his restaurant he receives a liberal patronage, daily furnishing meals to a large number of people.

C^n the 29th of Deceiuber. 1886, Mr. Singleton was tinited in marriage to Miss Laura Coussins, who was born in Sandusky, Ohio, September 2, 1866, and from there removed with her parents to Hanover, Indiana, and later to Gibson City, Illinois. Fraternally Mr. Singleton is connected with the Decatur Lodge, No. 17. F. S; .\. M.. and with Springfield Commandery, No. 3, K. T., and is a worthy representative of the craft. He has always taken an active part in politics, being ati earnest Republican and has been prominent in political circles throughovit the state. In 1890 he was sent as a delegate from this district to the Republican national convention, which convened at Nashville, Tennessee. He was also a member of the state senate committee for several years, while in 1892 he served as a member of the state executive committee and was chairman of the Macon county delegation to the state convention of the boards of supervisors in Peoria, Illinois. He has labored effectively for the welfare and upbuilding of his party, is known to its most prominent members and is recognized as one of its leaders in the state. For several terms he has served as a member of the Macon county board of supervisors and his interest in local affairs has been especially helpful along lines tending to promote the upbuilding and substantial improvements of Decatur. He has a very wide acquaintance in this city and enjoys the warm friendship of the great majority of those with whom he has been brought in contact.

Mrs. Lamira Wilkinson

MRS. LAMIRA WILKINSON. Lamira Powers was the daughter of William and Abigail (Hendrix) Powers, the granddaughter of .'\ndrew and Sally (Carter) Powers and of David and Anne (Westcott) Hendrix. She was born April 29, 1807, in Charlton, Saratoga county, New York, and was married Feruary 14, 1829, to Chauncey W^ilkinson, of the same village. After living a few years at Ballston Springs, they removed to Alabama, where some of her brothers were then in business. They lived successively in Prairie Bluff, Tuskaloosa and Mobile.

Mr. Wilkinson died in 1844 and his widow with her three children came to Decatur, Illinois, to be with her mother, who was then living on the Powers farm northeast of town. A few years later her mother went to Bloomington to live with her daughter, Mrs. Ewing, whose husband was a minister there.md Mrs. Wilkinson and her older brother, Mlliam L. Powers, a retired banker, also removed there and made it their home until, Ir. Powers died. In 1859 she went with henne remaining child to Chicago, where this daijhter soon died. In 1864 she came with Ir. and Mrs. Ewing to Decatur, where she ?pt house during the remainder of her life, or the last few years she and her sister, zh a willow, made their home together. She led .March 6, 1894, in her eighty-seventh ur, Jiaving been a widow for fifty years and tying survived the last of her six children inre than thirty years.

A woman of unusually bright intellect of extensive reading and having led a varied fe in the east, south and west, Mrs. Wilkin>n was an interesting conversationalist and to he last of her long life a welcome addition to ay circle of old, middle-aged or young. ]er lonely home was made attractive to her mny friends and relatives by her cordial welcoie, her gracious hospitality and her beautiful crrtesy which made her seem to all who knew rr a perfect type of the true Christian genewoman.

Her quiet tastes made her shrink from ay public deeds, but her ample means were spat in many acts of kindness. To the Yous^ Men's Christian Association she was a f:- quent and generous giver ; to the library in s earlier struggling days she was most kind ad to the Presbyterian church, of which she W5 a life-long and consistent member, she gai a parsonage called by the trustees the Wilkin son Manse. Of Mrs. Wilkinson it might triv have been said : of year<;onnected with the agricultural interests of \Iacon county but is now practically living .-retired life in his beautiful home near the villae of Harristown. For five years he was a isident of Decatur, owning the house at No. 52 West Macon street, now occupied by his -on, but in 1897 he returned to the farm.

Mr. Villard was born in Overton county, Tenne.'ije, February 21, 1827, and is a son of Williai and Martha (Goodpasture) Willard, natives f Tennessee and Virginia, respectively. Oithe paternal side he is of English and Scotch Icscent, and his grandfather, William Willar. a native of Virginia, served as a soldier in!he Revolutionary war and was afterward ranted a pension by the government. He reohed the advanced age of one hundred and fj-v years .and retained his mental and physicri vigor to the last, riding fifty miles on hojeback in the spring of 1830 when a centenrian.

Wilhm Willard, Jr., the father of our subject, ;moved from Tennessee to Morgan -count} Illinois, in 1829 and entered from the goernment three hundred and twenty acres c land nine miles west of Jacksonville, "wherehe made his home until called to his final Tit in 1847, ^^ the age of forty-seven years. His death resulted from an attack of congesve fever. His wife, who long survived lim, died in Macon county, on the 8th of N^iember, 1861. They were consistent and fahful members of the Methodist Episcopal hurch and Mr. Willard served as one of tlu officers of the local congregation. In the faiily of this worthy couple were six sons and fur daughters but only two are now living nniely : Jei?erson G., of this sketch ; and Abrai Jasper, who is living near Shelbyville in Shiby county, Illinois.

Thccarly life of Jefiferson G. Willard was main! passed in Morgan county, Illinois, and when ic had attained a sufficient age he began Is education in an old log schoolhouse sittinion a rude slab bench. At the end of the building was a huge fireplace and the light was admitted through greased paper windows. There he laid the foundation of a good practical education which has been acquired through experience and observation.

On the 28th of March, 1849, Mr. Willard was united in marriage to Miss Alifif C. Averitt, a daughter of Nathan G. and Mary (Cooper) Averitt, the former a native of Iventucky and the latter of Tennessee. They became pioneer settlers of Morgan county, Illinois, where they located in 1830. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Willard but one died in infancy, the other being James Monroe, who is now living in Decatur. He married Miss Florence Dyke, a native of Tennessee, who died on the 24th of April, 1892, leaving a daughter, Clara, who now makes her home with her father, and is attending the James Millikin University at Decatur. For his second wife, James M. Willard married Miss Mary Kellington, of Morgan county, and to them have been born two children, Ruth and Alifif. For some time he was connected with the Municipal Electric Light Company as general manager, but is now living retired. .

Mr. Willard, of this review, continued to reside in Morgan county after his marriage until 1855, when he sold his property there and came to Macon county, where he has since made his home. He purchased a farm of three hundred acres on section 9, Harristown township, and as his financial resources were increased he kept adding to his land from time to time until he now has seven hundred and forty acres of as fine farming land as is to be found anywhere in the country. His place adjoins the village of Harristown and being well improved and highly cultivated is one of the most desirable farms in this section of the state. Its beauty is enhanced by a little lake one-half mile in circumference, which is stocked with all kinds of fish. In connection with general farming Mr. Willard has engaged in stock raising quite extensively and in political circles throughout the state. In 1890 he was sent as a delegate from this district to the Republican national convention, which convened at Nashville, Tennessee. He was also a member of the state senate committee for several years, while in 1892 he served as a member of the state executive committee and was chairman of the Alacon county delegation to the state convention of the boards of supervisors in Peoria, Illinois. He has labored effectively for the welfare and upbuilding of his party, is known to its most prominent members and is recognized as one of its leaders in the state. For several terms he has served as a member of the Macon county board of supervisors and his interest in local affairs has been especially helpful along lines tending to promote the upbuilding and substantial improvements of Decatur. He has a very wide acquaintance in this city and enjoys the warm friendship of the great majority of those with whom he has been brought in contact.

Lamira Powers was the daughter of \^'illiam and Abigail (Hendrix) Powers, the granddaughter of Andrew and Sally (Carter) Powers and of David and Anne (Westcott) Hendrix. She was born April 29, 1807, in Qiarlton, Saratoga county. New York, and was married Feruary 14, 1829, to Chauncey \\'ilkinson. of the same village. After living a few years at Ballston Springs, they removed to Alabama, where some of her brothers were then in business. They lived successively in Prairie Bluff', Tuskaloosa and Mobile. '

Mr. Wilkinson died in 1844 and his widow with her three children came to Decatur, Illinois, to be with her mother, who was then living on the Powers farm northeast of town. A few years later her mother went to Bloominerton to live with her daughter, Mrs. Ewing, whose husband was a minister there, and ;\Irs. Wilkinson and her older brother, William L. Powers, a retired banker, also removed there and made it their home until Mr. Powers died. In 1859 she went with her one remaining child to Chicago, where this daughter soon died. In 1864 she came with Mr. and Mrs. Ewing to Decatur, where she kept house during the remainder of her life. For the last few years she and her sister, also a widow, made their home together. She died March 6, 1894, in her eighty-seventh year, having been a widow for fifty years and having survived the last of her six children more than thirty years.

A woman of unusually bright intellect, of extensive reading and having led a varied life in the east, south and west, Mrs. Wilkinson was an interesting conversationalist and to the last of her long life a welcome addition to any circle of old, middle-aged or young. Her lonelv home was made attractive to her many friends and relatives by her cordial welcome, her gracious hospitality and her beautiful courtesy which made her seem to all who knew her a perfect type of the true Christian gentlewoman.

Her quiet tastes made her shrink from any public deeds, but her ample means were spent in many acts of kindness. To the Young ^Nlen's Christian Association she was a frequent and generous giver ; to the library in its earlier struggling days she was most kind and to the Presbyterian church, of which she was a life-long and consistent member, she gave a parsonage called by the trustees the Wilkinson ]\Ianse. Of Mrs. Wilkinson it might truly have been said : of years connected with the agricultural interests of Macon county but is now practically living a retired life in his beautiful home near the village of Harristown. For five years he was a resident of Decatur, owning the house at No. 752 West Macon street, now occupied by his son, but in 1897 he returned to the farm.

Mr. Willartl was born in Overton count}', Tennessee, February 21, 1827, and is a son of William and Martha (Goodpasture) Willard, natives of Tennessee and Virginia, respectively. On the paternal side he is of English and Scotch descent, and his grandfather, William Willard, a native of \irginia, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war and was afterward granted a pension by the government. He reached the advanced age of one hundred and five years and retained his mental and physical vigor to the last, riding fifty miles on horseback in the spring of 1830 when a centenarian.

William \\'illard, Jr., the father of our subject, removed from Tennessee to Alorgan -county, Illinois, in 1829 and entered from the government three hundred and twenty acres of land nine miles west of Jacksonville, he made his home until called to his final rest in 1847, '^^ tlic age of forty-seven years. His death resulted from an attack of congestive fever. His wife, who long survived him, died in Macon county, on the 8th of November, 1861. They were consistent and failliful members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Willard served as one of the officers of the local congregation. In the family of this worthy couple were six sons and four daughters but only two are now living namely : Jefferson G., of this sketch ; and Abram Jasper, who is living near Shelbyville in .Shelby county, Illinois.

The early life of Jefferson G. Willard was mainly passed in ^lorgan county, Illinois, and wInn he had attained a sufficient age he began his education in an old log .schoolhouse sitting on a rude slab bench. .'Xt the end of the building was a huge fireplace and the light was admitted through greased paper windows. There he laid the foundation of a good practical education which has been acquired through experience and observation.

On the 28th of March, 1849, Mr. Willard was united in marriage to Miss Aliff C. Averitt, a daughter of Nathan G. and Mary (Cooper) Averitt, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Tennessee. They became pioneer settlers of Morgan county, Illinois, where they located in 1830. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. W'illard but one died in infancy, the other being James Alonroe, who is now living in Decatur. He married Aliss Florence Dyke, a native of Tennessee, who died on the 24th of April, 1892, leaving a daughter, Clara, who now makes her home with her father, and is attending the James Millikin University at Decatur. For his second wife, James M. Willard married Miss Mary Kellington, of Morgan count)', and to them have been born two children, Ruth and Aliff. For some time he was connected with the .Municipal Electric Light Company as general manager, but is now living retired. .

Mr. Willard, of this review, continued to reside in Morgan county after his marriage until 1855, when he sold his property there and came to Macon county, where he has since made his home. He purchased a farm of three hundred acres on section 9, Harristown township, and as his financial resources were increased he kept adding to his land from time to time until he now has seven hundred and forty acres of as fine farming land as is to be found anywhere in the country. His place adjoins the village of Harristown and being well improved and highly cultivated is one of the most desirable farms in this section of the state. Its beauty is enhanced by a little lake one-half mile in circumference, which is stocked with all kinds of fish. In connection with general farming Mr. Willard has engaged in stock raising quite extensively and has fouiul this branch of his business quite profitable. Although nearly seventy-seven years of age he still enjoys robust health and is able to do a good day's work on the farm. Both Mr. and Mrs. W'illard are active members of the Christian church at Harristown and for a quarter of a century he served as one of its elders. In early life he supported the Democratic party but in 1888 voted for Fiske and Brooks and has since been an ardent Prohibitionist.- He served as road commissioner for twelve years, but has never cared for political honors. He was one of the incorporators of the Macon County Agricultural Society and was president of the same for three years. A friend of temperance and morality, he does all in his power to advance the best interests of his township and county and as a citizen ever stands ready to discharge any duty that devolves upon him. He is a man of recognized ability and stands high in the community where he has so long made his home. Those who know him best are numbered among his warmest friends and no citizen in Macon county is more highly respected than Jefiferson G. Willard.

Josiah A. Jnioore

JOSIAH A. JNIOORE. Josiah A. Moore, deceased, was for over thirty years a resident of Decatur and at the time of his death was engaged in contracting and building. He was born on the 9th of February, 1855, in Orange county. North Carolina, of which state his parents, Samuel and Susan Moore, were also natives. Prior to the Civil war the father was a slaveholder and w^as a man of prominence in his community, serving as sherifT and deputy of Orange county for over thirty years before coming to Illinois in 1870. Deciding to locate in Macon count\-, he took up his residence near the village of Macon, where he lived a retired life until his deadi, which occurred January 6, 1893. His wife died at the same place on

Josiah A. Moore was indebted to the common schools of his native county for the educational privileges he enjoyed during his boyhood. He was about twelve years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to this state and he made Macon county his home throughout the remainder of his life. On starting out for himself, he obtained a position as brakeman on the Wabash Railroad and was afterward fireman for the same company, running out of Decatur on all the divisions of their road for several years.

In the meantime Mr. ^loore was' married November 18, 1892, to Miss Mary Downey, who was born in Clark county, Illinois, on the 29th of March, 1871, a daughter of Cyrus and Catherine Downey. In 1857 her parents removed from Ohio to Westfield, Clark county, this state, and afterward located in Tuscola, Illinois, where they made their home until 1883, wdiich year witnessed their arrival in Decatur. Here Mr. Downey, wdio was a carpenter, worked at his trade for several years but w^as living a retired life at the time of his death, which occurred February 14, 1893, His widow now makes her home with Mrs. Moore in Decatur. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Moore were born four children, namely : Clarinda Ruth, Myrtle Grace, Cyrus P. and Samuel A.

Resigning his position on the road in 1890 Mr. Moore began learning the carpenter's trade and after he had thoroughly mastered that occupation he worked at general carpentering around Decatur until 1899, ^\li*-'" '1^ commenced contracting and building on his own account and was thus engaged at the time of his death, which occurred on the 1st of October, 1901. He was a stanch Democrat and always took an active interest in his (the fifth) ward. Fraternallv he was a member 'of Roe Camp, Xo. 720T, Modem Woodmen, of Decatur, wliilc his wife belongs to the Mutual Protective League and Bav Leaf Lodge, No,

29, Royal Neighbors. Both held membership in the North Main street Methodist Episcopal Industrious, trustworthy and reliable, he won the confidence of those with whom he was brought in contact either in business or social life, and he was held in high regard b\- all who knew him. Mrs. Moore now owns a nice residence at No. 1545 North Calhoun street, where she and her children now reside. She has many friends throughout the citw

Hieronymus Mueller

It would be difficult to imagine what Decatur would have been without Mr. Mueller, so largely is its commercial growth and development due to his labor and yet it is not because he controlled industrial interests surpassing those of any other resident of Decatur that his memory is revered in this city; it is because of his character - his fearless opposition to the wrong, his exemplification of all that is fair and just in the treatment of employes, his deep sympathy and his kindly spirit. Such were the qualities that made him loved and respected in a community that is deeply indebted to him for its progress and upbuilding and in which he made his home for so many years.

In the village of Monhcim, Germany, on the i6th of July, 1833, Mr. Mueller was born and reared, obtaining a good education in his native tongue. He seemed to have excellent business foresight and sagacity and it was his recognition of the business possibilities of the new world that led him to seek a home in America in 1850. He had previously learned the machinist's trade and, going to Chicago, he was there employed in that capacity. Later he removed to Freeport, Illinois, where he opened a gunshop. but the discovery of gold at Pike's Peak drew him to Colorado. He did not remain long, however, among the mountains of the west and when he again came to Illinois he took up his abode in Decatur, which remained his place of residence up to the time of his death. He began business here in a humhlc way and those who visited the little gun repair shop of which he was proprietor little dreamed that he would one day be the ])roprietor of the leading industrial enterprise of the city, employing five hundred workmen. Indeed no such idea was in his own mind, but he had resolved to win success if honorable effort could accomplish it and to make the most of the oijportunities which surrounded him. His little establishment was on the south side of Main street, about halt way between Lincoln Square and Church streets, and later he removed to a little frame building, which then stood at the southeast corner of State and East Main streets. His work was mostly that of repairing guns, but he also had a few guns for sale. His thoughts, however, were directed into other channels, and a latent inventive power was supplemented by study, experiment and investigation until 1870, when he gave to the world his perfected machine for ta])ping a water main under pressure. It was among the first practical machines put upon the market and in fact its utility and value were so readily recognized that it came almost at once into wide use and though later he [ilaced tipon the market many other inventions, none ever excelled in popularity and sale this first work -of his creative mechanical genius. His growing business enabled him. in 1872, to erect a building on the site nOw occupied by the Herald office, and he there continued the manufacture of his tapping machine on an enlarged scale and at the same time conducted a plumbing business in addition to carrying a stock of guns and continuing his gun-repair work. The growth of the business was extensive and certainly gratifying and justified the enlargement and remodeling of his building from a twostory to a three-story structure, all of which, however, was soon utilized for factory purposes, and in 1885, because of the growth of his trade and the need of the factorv for all of the lloor space tliere, he made his gun store a separate enterprise, locating it on Merchant street and afterward on Prairie street, where he continued in the trade until 1897, when he sold out in that line. The growth of the manufacturing interests also necessitated the removal of the plumbing business to other quarters, which was done in 1887, the new place of the plumbing enterprise being on the south side of East Main street. This w-as incorporated in 1 89 1 under the name of The H. Mueller Plumbing & Heating Company, and moved to 247 North Main street, where a building was erected for that business, but was sold in 1896.

More and more Mr. Mueller centered his interest upon his manufacturing plant and the disposal of its products, and in 1893 this business was incorporated, while two years later, in order to provide more commodious quarters, he erected the brick building now occupied by the Mueller Company, at the corner of Cerro Gordo and College streets. These statements but suggest the growth of a business now unequalled in extent and importance in the city of Decatur. It furnishes employment to five hundred workmen and its output goes to every part of the civilized world. Mr. Mueller placed upon the market many other inventions in conection with plumbing, the conveying of water and work of that character, among the most notable being the water pressure regulator. He was continually studying to bring work of that character to a higher grade of perfection through implements and devices of greater utility, and that he succeeded is a matter of industrial history of the country. He adopted his initials H-M as his trade mark and upon the millions of pieces of brass goods which are annually shipped to all parts of this country and abroad that distinctive mark of Decatur's greatest industry is seen.

perfecting such a machine. About 1895 he purchased in Germany an automobile known as the Benz motor wagon, one of the first used in this country, and it attracted much attention throughout leading cities of the United States wherever shown. This Mr. Mueller rebuilt and materially improved, but he desired still greater perfection and shortly prior to his death he completed what he believed to be a practical gasoline engine for the use of automobiles, and it was while experimenting with that that the accident occurred which terminated his early career. Five or six years before his was one of only two machines which successfully competed in an automobile race in Chicago. One day while experimenting upon the engine he had devised, he filled his reservoir with gasoline and some of the liquid ran upon his clothing. A few moments later he lighted a cigar and the gases arising from his clothing ignited and he was fatally burned, on the 14th of February, before the flames could be extinguished, death resulting on the I St of March, 1900.

Mr. Mueller's home life had been a most happy and congenial one. While in Chicago, in 1856, he had married Miss Frederica Bernhardt, also a native of the fatherland, in which a part of her girlhood was passed. For fortyfour years they traveled hfe's journey together and the relation which existed between them was an ideal one. They became the parents of nine children and the seven still living are all residents of Decatur, namely : Henry, Phillip, Fred B., Robert, Adolph, Oscar and Mrs. Frank Cruikshank. To his children Mr. Mueller w-as both adviser and friend, and as his sons became old enough he admitted them to a share in his business interests and trained them for its responsible duties. .-Ml six of his sons were associated with him in the H. Mueller Manufacturing Company, and there were at different times three other Mueller companies, all incorporated, and in all the members of the family were the only stockholders. In her wav the mother's influence has been no less potent. Her interest centering in her family, she has put forth every effort in her power to make her home attractive to her children with the result that the sons, now practical men of business, entertain for her the greatest veneration and filial regard and each one in sentiment, it not in words, has echoed the speech of a distinguished statesman who. in speaking of his mother, said: "She is the first lady of the land."

Aside from his home relations H. Mueller was widely known for his charity and benevolence. His were generous deeds, quietly and unostentatiously performed, for he never sought praise for what he did for his fellowmen. He voted with the Democracy and in the early days he was a member of the volunteer fire department of Decatur, and in his late years greatly enjoyed meeting his old comrades of that organization. IMovements for the benefit of the city and the promotion of its welfare never sought his co-operation in vain, but outside of the family circle there was no place where Mr. Mueller was so greatly loved and respected as in his place of business. His justice, leading to reasonable hours and good pay, and the kindly interest which he took in his fellow men were the secret of this. An employe said of him : "He worked in the machine shop with his men and was in closer touch with his employes than any man I ever knew. I think he never said a disagreeable word and I have known hjm for many years to be always the same." No need of a monument of granite or stone to perpetuate his memory, for he lives enshrined in the hearts of all who came into close touch with him and most of all was he dear to his employes and his family, where his true life was best known.

Waller Pritchett

WALLER PRITCHETT. Waller Pritchett is one of the leading business men of Niantic and is rapidly working his way to a foremost position among the prominent financiers of the county. He is now giving his time and attention to the banking business and, being a man of sound judgment, keen discrimination and good executive ability, is bringing success to the concern with which he is connected. The success of the bank is certainly due in a large measure to him and through it he has promoted the welfare of the town.

Mr. Pritchett was born in the central part of Kentucky on the 27th of July, 1861, and is a representative of an old and prominent family of that state, the first to locate there being his great-grandparents and also his grandparents, who were from \'irginia. In 1895 a family reunion was held at Madisonville, Hopkins county, Kentucky, where the great-grandparents located on their removal to that state, and there were five hundred present. Since then reunions have been held every year on the last Thursday in August at Halls Grove near Niantic, Illinois. The. family came originally from Germany. Our subject's parents, James W. and Sarah J. (Ingles) Pritchett, were born in Kentucky and continued to make their home there until the fall of 1864, when they came to Macon county. Illinois, and settled in Niantic township, where the father engaged in farming until called to his final rest in 1886. The mother is still living and now reside's in the village of Niantic. Of the nine children born to them three died in infancy, those still living being as follows: William, who makes his home in Decatur, married Henrietta Milligan, of Mount .Vnburn, Illinois, and has one daughter, Lena; Horace, who follows farming in Xiantic township, married Amanda Turner, of this county, and has five children, James W., Ella, Charles W., Elmer and Elsie; Charles, who is engaged in the hardware business in Latham, Illinois, married Anna Nottelmann and has one child; Arthur is a hardware dealer of Niantic; Mary E. is llic wife fif J. A. Cussins who is conducting a general store in Niantic and also has charge of the Macon county telephone exchange at that

Waller Pritchett was only three years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to this county and he procured his education in the Niantic schools. After completing his education he engaged in the grocery business at that place for four years and on his retirement became connected with his brother Arthur in the hardware business, in which he is still interested. He also has a half interest in the Bank of Niantic in partnership with George Well. A wide-awake, energetic business man, he has prospered in his undertakings and to-day occupies an enviable position in business circles. He has a beautiful home in Niantic and besides his town property he owns some fine farming land near the village.

In January, 1891, Mr. Pritchett was united in marriage to ]\Iiss Effie Gepford, of Harristown. From this county her parents removed to IMissouri. Mr. and IMrs. Pritchett have had two children, Carl Willard and Helen. Helen died at the age of seven years. They are members of the Christian church of Niantic and our subject is also connected with the Camp of Modern Woodmen at that place. In politics he is a Democrat. While as a prosperous business man he has given close attention to his private affairs, he has never forgotten or ignored the bond of common interest which should unite the people of every community and he has always been ready to promote progress in every line. Genial and pleasant in manner he makes many friends and is popular in social as well as business circles.

Charles Adams

CHARLES ADAMS. For a third of a century Charles Adams was identified with the railroad interests of Illinois and was one of the most popular engineers on the Wabash road running out of

Decatur. On first coming to this state in i85o he located in Centralia and entered the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad when that compan\- did their switching in the railroad yards with oxen. He witnessed almost the entire development of the railroad interests of this state.

Mr. Adams was a native of Lynn, Alassachusetts, born July 17, 1829, and was a son of Ezekiel and Mary (Carter) Adams, who spent their entire lives in the old Bay state. Our subject had a brother who came with him to the west but is now deceased. Charles Adams attended the common schools of ]\Iassachusetts, but at the age of fourteen he laid aside his text books and went to sea, six years being spent before the mast, during which time he made one trip around the world. At the age of twenty he returned to Lynn, Massachusetts, and obtained employment as a shoemaker in one of the large shoe factories of that place.

While there 1s,It. Adams was united in marriage to INIiss Elizabeth Swan, who was born in ]\larble Head, Alassachusetts, on the 29th of January. 183 1. Her father, Thomas Swan, was a retail dealer in boots and shoes at Marble Head and Lynn, and died at the latter place. L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Adams were born nine children, as follows : John, deceased ; Thomas, who is general master mechanic for the Cotton Belt Railroad and is a resident of Pine Bluff, Arkansas ; Sophia, wife of William Cherry, who makes his home in Texas ; Adelaide, now deceased; Grace, wife of Henry Burkett, of Springfield. Illinois ; Laura, wife of Charles Huff, of Boston, Massachusetts ; Frank, an engineer living in West Superior, Wisconsin : Hattie. wife of Edgar W. Brown and a resident of Connecticut ; and Alfred, who is now living in North Dakota.

After his marriage Mr. Adams continued to follow, shoemaking in Lynn, Massachusetts, until i860, when he removed to Centralia, Illinois, as previously stated and accepted a position as engineer on the Illinois Central Rail- road. He was wilh that- company ami the Wabash Railroad there until 1863, when he was transferred to Decatur. For several years he was an engineer on the former road, and in the same capacity was in both the freight and passenger service on the Wabash Railroad, running between Decatur and St. Louis until a wreck in the early part of 1893. '^^' ^''^-'^ retired froin the road and spent the remainder of his life in ease and quiet at his pleasant home in Decatur. Here he died on the loth of September, 1901. honored and respected by all who knew him. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity and Iiy his ballot supported the men and measures of the Republican party. His life was honorable and upright and he won and retained the confidence and esteem of those with whom he was brought in contact.

Mrs. Adams has a nice home at No. 857 North Clayton street, where she has resided for thirty-six years, and also owns .property at 1045 East Marietta street. Her granddaughter. Miss Grace Hoflf, resided with her until the latter's death in September, 1903. Mrs. Adams belongs to the Baptist church of Decatur and is held in high regard by all who know her, her many admirable traits of mind and heart having gained for her a large circle of friends.

JAMES L. GRAY, M. D. For several years during the evening of his life Dr. Gray resided in the city of Decatur and previous to that time was a resident of the village of Macon, where he located about 1859. He was, therefore, one of the early settlers of the county and well does he deserve representation in this volume because of his active connection with the work that is so valuable to mankind. Many accord to the medical profession the highest place in the world's activities and Dr. Gray was one who was ever faithful to the duties of his profession, excrtinsr his efforts in the utmost to restore to man liis most cherished possession - health.

The Doctor was born in North Carolina, on the 7th of jul\-, 1832, his parents being Joseph and Gertrude Gray, both of whom were natives of the Old North state. The father was a minister in the Presbyterian church and at an early day removed to Illinois, settling in Monmouth, where he engaged in preaching for many years. He was one of the pioneers in gospel work in that locdity and established the First Presbyterian church in the city where he made his home, building the church with his own means. His wife died dining their residence in Monmouth and he afterward removed to Greene county, Illinois, where he engaged in farming. He was there married to Mrs. Sallie Capps and in (jreene county he continued to carry on agricultural pursuits imlil his life's labors were ended in death. There were five children born of the first marriage, namely: James L.. our subject; Edward; Howard; William; and John, who also came to this county but now lives in Kansas.

In the common schools of Monmouth, Illinois, Dr. James L. Gray acquired his early education and afterward attended school in Greene county, this state, where he also took tip the study of medicine. His choice of a life work fell upon the healing art. He believed it would prove a congenial as well as profitable occupation and thought he might be of benefit to his fellow men by following this calling. After his preliminary reading he went to Chicago, where he matriculated in the Rush Medical College, and afterward received his certificate to practice. Dr. Gray first located in Greenfield. Illinois, and there he engaged in teaching school for a short time, following which he opened his office and entered upon his cho.sen calling. He later took up his abode in the village of Greenfield, where he and his brother Howard engaged in conducting a drug store for several years, while he also devoted much of his time to the work of his profession. He remained there until 1851), when he estab- lislicd his home in the village of Macon, Macon county, where he practiced continuously until 1880, when his health became impaired and he removed to Benson, Illinois. There he engaged in the dry goods and notions business for a few years and at the end of that time he came to Decatur and spent his remaining days in retirement from further business cares, enjoying a rest which he had truly earned and richly deserved. He possessed skill and zeal in his practice and by reading and investigation kept thoroughly informed concerning the progress and discoveries made by the medical fraternity. Because of his cheery manner and helpful disposition his presence was like a ray of sunshine in the sick room and this undoubtedly proved a strong element in his success.

Dr. Gray was first married in Greene county, Illinois, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary A. Twyman, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of Dr. J- T. and Matilda (Robertson) Twyman. both of whom were natives of Kentucky where the mother died. The father lived in Macon county for a short time, whence he removed to Springfield, Illinois, there spending his remaining days. Dr. Gray was called to mourn the loss of his first wife in 1866 and he later married Miss Julia A. Tw\'- man, a sister of his first wife. There were two children by the first marriage : Howard L., who wedded Nora E. Owens, of Kentucky, and now lives in California ; and Arthur, who died in infancy. Unto Dr. James L. and Julia (Twyman) Gray was born one son, Fred W., who is now a clerk in the postoffice of Decatur and resides with his mother.

At the time of the Civil war the Doctor offered his services to the government in defense of the Union, being most loyal in his advocacy of the cause which he espoused. He joined the army as a surgeon and for three years was at the front, faithfully doing his duty whether it called him into the thickest of the fight or stationed him on the lonely picket line. He was never injured or ill during his entire service and at length was honorably discharged. He always espoused the Republican party, which stood as the defender of the Union in the dark days of the Civil war, and he held several local offices in the village of Macon. He belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Decatur and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church in Macon, while his widow belongs to the Christian church of Decatur. With her son she now^ resides at her pleasant home at No. 555 East Herkimer street. The Doctor continued in the active practice of his profession until he was forced to abandon it on account of ill health. His last years were spent in retirement from labor in Decatur and here he passed away on the 19th of July, 1896. His life was one of exceptional activity and usefulness and was characterized by the most unswerving integrity and honor. He left to his family an example well worthy of emulation and his life history might well be compared to a clear, limpid stream, wherein you can see the form and color of the pebbles at the bottom and through whose meandering course no sediment appears.

J. L. STOUTENBOROUGH. This well known farmer of Maroa township was born in the neighboring county of De Witt, on the 14th of September, 1856, and is a son of Garrett and Margaret Stoutenborough, whose sketch appears on another page of this volume'. He received a good practical education in the public schools of his native county and for one term attended business college at Lebanon. Ohio. At the age of twenty-one he commenced farming on his own account and operated the old home place in De Witt county until 1885, when he removed to the farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Maroa township, Macon county, where he now resides, it being a part of his father's land. Our subject erected thereon a good house and barn, set out all the trees, and has converted the tract into a well improved farm. In addition to the raising of the grain best adapted to the soil and climate of this section of the state, he raises horses, cattle and hogs, and is meeting with good success in business affairs. He has invented and patented a gate, known as the King tilting gate, which he has had on exhibition at several state fairs and which is becoming very popular.

Mr. Stoutenlx)rough was married in 1881 to Miss Luella Miller, a daughter of W. C. Miller, of Barnett township, De Witt county, and to them were born six children, as follows : Ralph, who died at the age of ten years ; William A. and Garrett Earl, twins ; Fannie ; Helen ; and Robert. The children are now attending high school in Maroa and are still at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Stoutenborough are active and prominent members of the Christian church at Maroa, in which he is serving as deacon, and they are held in the highest regard by all who know them. In his political views Mr. Stoutenborough is an ardent Republican.

James Hollinger

JAMES HOLLINGER. James Hollinger, who is one of the most prominent colored men not only of Macon county but of the state of Illinois, has resided in Decatur for the past thirty-three years, coming here in 1870 from Pennsylvania. He was born on the plantation of T. O. B. Carter in Fauquier county, Virginia, nine miles from Warrenton, the county seat. His parents were James H. and Elizabeth Hollinger. In 1819 there was a law that passed the general assembly of the state of Virginia which compelled all free negroes to emigrate to a free state and in 1849 when this law was enforced the father and mother of our subject were compelled to leave the Old Dominion on account of having been born free. They accordingly went to Pennsylvania, settling in Bedford countv, wlicre thcv remained until the time of the Civil war, when they removed to Altoona, that state, and there spent their remaining days, their remains being interred in the cemetery at that place.